


I’ll take those measures

by GrumpyTsundereShipper



Category: Naruto
Genre: Cynical Naruto, M/M, Mature Naruto, independant naruto, smart naruto
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-18
Updated: 2019-05-17
Packaged: 2019-11-24 01:31:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18159698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrumpyTsundereShipper/pseuds/GrumpyTsundereShipper
Summary: Naruto’s birthday has been a day of pain and paranoia. Fortunately Naruto figured out the key to his survival when he was 9 and has been continuing this practice in secret. Team 7 get involved and find a far more complicated situation than the mission they were assigned.





	1. Chapter 1

They hadn’t pursued him until he could run properly and think coherently, the courtesy of which made Naruto consider bowing out of appreciation. Naturally he would have preferred not to have had to be in that position at all, but at least he had a fighting chance. 

The first time Naruto had figured out the trick to not being beaten, tortured and chased with bottles was when he was 9 years old. Years of examining shadows and seeing faceless villager over his shoulder had built up a healthy regard for his surroundings. The neglect that had predisposed his ultimate situation of physical danger had laid the foundation of his omniscient attention, meaning that when they first started coming for him on what should be a day of celebration it was less of a shock than it should have been. 

 

“Naruto hurry up baka!” The pinkette called for him irritably as he fell behind the group, lost in thought. The training grounds were a few minutes away anyways. The path was lined with the regular lurching trees and shinobi tracks. Naruto replied too cheerfully, bounding up to the group, touching up his sunshine smile with a stroke of superficiality. 

The pink one was talking but Naruto wasn’t listening. Where was he going to go this time? Perhaps rice country. Perhaps the mist village. He had been underprepared the first two trips. The first time had been on the day of his birthday, he had escaped one of the hordes by tucking himself in a badger den after they had caught his trail leading into the forest of death. After the torches had been extinguished by the thick belt of tar colored trees distance allowed the trees to veil the crowd of personalized burning slabs of wood. 

 

He had spent days after losing sight of the torches wandering the forest, not trying to find the village but not trying to get lost. The tears had run out after the first day, refusing to produce anymore until he got back to his apartment, it’s walls then dribbling a new red, the panes of glass cradling holes webbing from corner to corner that had spat its transparent webbing onto Naruto’s cheap beer soaked carpet. 

The next few times Naruto’s time period away from the village hidden in the leaves- “Naruto you’ll be sparring with Sasuke today, Sakura come with me, we’ll be working on your ninjutsu.” Had gotten larger and larger until he would take 3 weeks off or more depending on how badly the villagers were acting before and during the month. Two weeks before and a week after the day. 

Naruto took this time to travel everywhere and became so addicted to the feeling of being unknown and even liked in some places he began to disappear during holidays or any event even remotely linking to the Kyuubi. 

He had at first been concerned about people noticing the absences and attempting to get him early but he knew they couldn’t approach superiors and demand they stop Naruto from leaving without explaining their plans, which included an S rank secret. Plus to avoid them getting him early he would change the dates he left, sometimes a month before at most, leaving a shadow clone behind to appear that he was still in the village. When the pursuers got the shadow clone they would never know how long Naruto had been gone so they couldn’t anticipate the times of his departures. Since the shadow clone would be active until it was attacked on the festival. Publicly he would only be gone a week or so, or even a few days if he has another clone hidden so no one who actually bothered to interact with him would notice.

“Dattebyo! Let’s go Teme!” It was decided, Mist it is. The markets there were dead but he was in the mood to catch up with the locals. Brilliant fishermen and their cod was just- “ow! Teme you’re such a jerk get off me!” The fight was over. Sasuke had Naruto on his back, letting his seemingly boundless spirit take form in his toothy smile.  
The sky was soaked in an ugly grey decorated with hanging flotsam, the sight of it left a bitter aftertaste in Naruto’s mouth. 

“Dobe you’re the one whose attached to me.” The revenge obsessed teen growled back, trying to unhook their clothing. Unhooked and free, Sasuke placed himself next to Naruto delicately. 

Staring wasn’t unusual for Naruto, but staring from Sasuke was. “What you looking at bastard.” The blond snapped, mentally counting the days till the upcoming Kyuubi festival. 

“Stop thinking.” His opponent raised an eyebrow. What right did Sasuke have to order him to stop thinking? The next question on the agenda was, how he knew he wasn’t paying attention. “What’s that meant to mean duck hair!” 

“It means thinking is my job, yours is to scream your lungs out every second.” That screaming was what saved Naruto from traveling permanently, the blond commented bitterly to himself. Although, the idea wasn’t as repulsive to him as he wanted to pretend. 

Executed perfectly, Naruto’s response met Sasuke’s jab as expected. Satisfaction is a sweet drug and a good performance can lie on Naruto’s tongue for days. Sasuke didn’t suspect anything, the fact he had taken Naruto’s act so well proved that. So Naruto relaxed, checking the tree line for unnaturally angled shadows per usual before continuing his predetermined dialogue. 

“Sasuke.” The pale Uchiha heir paused, anticipating the question. Naruto played with the idea of warning Sasuke of his incoming departure, “actually... nevermind, it doesnt matter.” The older teen responded irritably at the dismissal, insisting that starting a sentence and not ending it was the worst.

“Oh yeah bastard, at least I talk normally!” A grunt was the response. 

After a few more rounds of utter defeat Kakashi finally reappeared with a broken Genin in tow and released them from the vicious circle of arguing, fighting and mouthing a mix of dirt and thin blood.

“Okay kids, the Hokage has a mission for us.” His only visible eye smiled at the exuberant response, or smiled at his porn, either way all of the team were content. 

“I bet it’s finally a B rank, jiji has seen my true worth!” Naruto announced, obnoxiously swiveling to face the team as they headed towards the village. Coincidently as Naruto had spun the shadows under the canopy of flushing trees had rescinded softly. The movement caused the blond to scowl lightly; chunin. 

The appearance of higher ranked nin rattled the small blond. He was cutting it too close. This mission had to be shortened if he was to get out with a safe distance between the departure and the day. 

“I bet it’s another D rank.” The miserable rookie of the year ground out, taking a moment to shake Sakura off his arm before catching up to Naruto. Subtly, of course. 

Undeterred, Sakura pursued her target until they reached the Hokage tower. “Sasuke-kuuuuuun lets have dinner later. I just bought a new dress and-“ Naruto stopped listening. The villagers were mulling around the team as they approached the tower, hyenas attracted to the illusion of rotting meat. It was this illusion of rotting meat that saved him from being attacked daily. 

 

So for now Naruto will embrace the flies and the stares. Until they get close enough and he can sink this teeth into their flimsy pelts. 

 

“Good morning team 7.” The hokage had burrowed himself behind piles of paperwork, flanked by a Nara and another shinobi. The shinobi refused to match Naruto’s look. Eyes always reveal the desire of the mind, so Naruto concluded that he must be a previous pursuer unable to look his prey in his eyes and humanize him. Nara has not been a threat, if he had been or was there was no doubt in Naruto’s mind that he would be dead.

 

“Today you will be taking a low B rank.” 

“Yatta!” Naruto whooped, eyes fixed on the unknown shinobi who flinched at the pitch. Sakura had let out a quiet whoop at the same time before scolding her teammate, “shut up Naruto!” Her teammate bowed his head in apology, rubbing the back of his head, shallowly enough to keep his eyes trained on the object of his interest. 

As this was occurring, another member of team 7 was also watching an object of interest, narrowed eyes in irritation. 

“Naruto.” Uchiha’s voice surprised him, so he momentarily lost his eye’s focus and turned to his teammate. He wasn’t the only one surprised by the sudden call, Sasuke looked mildly confused by his own interruption. 

“As i was saying,” Sarutobi lurched a little to release a shallow cough, “your mission today is to investigate a post box.” 

 

Silence lingered. 

“What! Jiji you said this was a B rank not a D rank!” Pushing his lung capacity, Naruto belted out the accusation with practiced anger. Inside he was thanking every hokage that it was an easy and quick mission, the sooner he left the faster he sees Orrin.  
Disappointment etched into Sakura’s features, she nodded vigorously with Naruto. 

Even Sasuke’s arrogant demeanor twitched. 

“The Post Box,” Sarutobi rubbed his temples, “belongs to an anonymous citizen. The name registered is on none of our records and is, according to the employees, consistently only used for direct mail to rock country. The only reason we even discovered this was because a new mailman accidentally opened one of the letters that described a dangerous correspondence between our citizen and a S-ranked shinobi in rock country.” 

Sakura was quick to respond, “we’re new Chunin, why are you giving us such a dangerous mission!” Kakashi backed this vehemently. 

“Because, excuse me for this, but I have my suspicions.” 

 

Naruto felt sick.


	2. Chapter 2

Naruto didn't make a habit of contacting foreign S rank shinobi but in all honesty it wasn't something he could avoid. They were always so persuasive and their monthly gambling games meant he couldn't really avoid them. The mail that was intercepted was probably another summons to the rock shinobi's poker game next week, how that could be misinterpreted as a 'threat' Naruto couldn't understanding. Plenty of leaf shinobi are friendly with the Rock shinobi, understandably as the two villages are allies and do a lot of joint missions. 

This, this is a mess Naruto grouched calmly. There's no way he could disappear off to Mist at this rate with a mole in question. 

"That's why team 7 will be sent to rock country to investigate how much this shinobi knows and hopefully discover who his accomplice is." Sakura brightened up considerably, even Sasuke's form relaxed a little. The blond released a trademark whoop, a scowl imprinted lightly on his forehead contradicting the face splitting grin. Waiting for the Chunin to quieten down, Sarutobi explained that it would be too controversial to directly investigate upper rank leaf shinobi without clear cause, and using a group of fresh Chunin would not be the most subtle plan. 

Yes, the mission in rock country that will undoubtedly run over the festival is a good way to get out of the village officially but other problems arise from being in a country he frequents alone. With his team. 

One problem solved, another arises.  
Sarutobi finished detailing the mission completely aware the team were not listening and ended up dismissing them after a few minutes. Their departure would be the next morning, early. Something of course Naruto was thankful for the head start but it also meant that he had less time to strategize. Naruto may be an idiot, but he was not such an idiot that he was going to be quiet between the Hokage's office and the parting between him and his teammates. Silence would not only be out of character for him but also lead to questioning the conspicuous attitude. A vicious circle the blond Genin did not want to enter. It was when they reached the parting in the dust road between the roads that Sasuke finally broke. 

"Naruto. Shut up." Irritatingly succinct, but exactly the reaction he was vying for. Naruto revelled in the victory for a moment, basking in the Uchiha's alexithymia and overall lack of care before replying. "What's it to you duck butt, I wasn't talking to you! Sakura-chaaan let's-" 

"No." Wonderful answer from a wonderfully obnoxious child. This flat out rejection meant Naruto could get home as fast he could without breaking character, what a wonderful team he has to supply him with his own lines. the victory was short lived. Sasuke looked at him a second too long. A break in character. "What you looking at teme!" the loud accusation visibly surprised Sasuke who hadn't even noticed what he had done, but Naruto had. In retrospect the overreaction may have just been that, even for the 'dobe', but being hyperaware of people around him wasn't a skill he could switch off. That is why when Naruto caught the dark eyes narrow at his unnaturally sharp observation he tried to smile wider. 

 

Waving them off into the darkening streets lined with hauntingly familiar red doors, the blond haired mole began to walk briskly towards his apartment. He hadn't even climbed the crumbling steps before he saw the broken shards lying idly on the top couple of stairs, lazy but intentional. There wasn't any time to trade love notes unfortunately, so Naruto swept the glass shards out of his way only to practically throw himself through his door. 

He had never kept the mail he had shared with foreign shinobi but there were a few lying around in anticipation to be read. The apartment was cold, something he would swear if his decisions to start up his 'open fire', also known as a hole in the wall made by an assassin that he took as a opportunity.The fire burned bright that night. Those narrowed dark eyes simmered in his memory, threatening to boil his warming anticipation for the morning. Naruto's own tired eyes narrowed, those dark eyes had challenged his acting, the product of his blood sweat and tears as a kid, this would not go unmet. 

So much to do before dawn, but for now, there is a house visitor Naruto has to attend to.


	3. Chapter 3

Sasuke had been up since 5 am, not because he was excited for this mission but to train for it, of course. It had nothing to do with how weird Naruto had been the other day. Or how weird Naruto is in general. The thought process led to Sasuke standing in the middle of his garden, spinning his chipped kunai between his fingers mindlessly considering his blond teammate. Something about Naruto came off as... disjointed would be the only way to describe it, like something didn't quite fit. Being the genius that he is heralded as Sasuke had finally pinned it down yesterday when Naruto had slipped up, it was a combination of his flitting eyes and overly sensitive reactions to everything. Being hyper as a personality doesn't usually add up to being hyper aware of other people.

Now that the dark haired boy thought about it, Naruto had always been on overdrive or known weird things. The only examples that were vivid in his memory was the time Kakashi had tried to 'teach' his precious Genin an extreme drinking game that people in rice country enjoyed when they wanted to get piss drunk. Kakashi had failed in lighting the mysterious liquid that lined one of the shot glasses, later making an excuse that flipping fire would be a hazard. Naruto had laughed at his sensei and set it alight for him, saying that the flipping wasn't the hardest part, it was getting the shot into the pure sake from a standing position on the bar without setting the bar alight, a metre away from the pint of sake. Sensei had gone quiet after that, probably from shame. No one had questioned Naruto's knowledge of a foreign drinking game or when he had handed the bartender a sealed letter. 

It took a few minutes to get to the meeting place even at a sprint, he wasn't going to give sensei the satisfaction of a Uchiha joining him in being late everyday. At first he thought he was first there but it was the sunshine blond hair standing solitarily against the flourish of trees that disputed that. Naruto appeared to have anticipated him, already watching him with those flitting eyes and painful smile. Now that he could see it Sasuke could feel regret crushing against his chest, it was hard to look at Naruto without following his eyes. He would bet anything that even under heavy eyelids those eyes never stopped analysing, calculating and consuming.  
The rest of the team arrived, Kakashi only being an hour late. "Alright team lets head out! Everybody got everything?"  
"Yes sensei! All of my new dresses are ready." The pink one had responded ecstatically, gesturing to her current dress as if to give them more context. Kakashi and Sakura ended up discussing the necessity of the same dress in different colours for 3 hours. For those 3 hours Sasuke kept his own eyes on Naruto, who under the scrutiny seemed wary but unconcerned. 

The further they got the more relaxed Naruto got, the lower his bronze shoulders dropped. It was when they hit a crossroads balanced between two shards of young forests that the group finally unified, only to start arguing. "Kakashi-sensei it says right here on the map, we go left!" Sakura screeched, bunching her glossy dress in her hands, not failing to flutter her eyelashes at Sasuke first.  
"Sakura you're reading it upside down, its right, listen to your sensei." 

"It's left." It was wrong. The tone Naruto used was too factual, calmly factual, leaving little to discussion. Sasuke was tempted just to take his word but he was a Uchiha, so he checked the map, something which he had noted Naruto had not checked. It was only when Naruto had leaned towards them to calmly direct them was when Sasuke caught sight of a new scratch leading down his neck, he was certain he didn’t inflict that on the blond. 

They did have to turn left eventually. The others had not picked up on Naruto's behaviour, his flitting eyes or his leisurely pace. It vaguely reminded Sasuke of the kind of ramble he would take around the tomato market, an extremely familiar place that he didn't go to often. 

Three days later of unwavering observation, they had arrived at Rock village.


	4. Chapter 4

The village was much more plain than leaf, its landscape enjoyed a flat terrain only obstructed by the occasional rock jutting from its dry dirt. On top of this lethargically created piece of land there sat neutral coloured blocks labelled houses nestled in between the jutting rocks like a naturally growing phenomenon under the sadistic sun. The leaf's flourishing green would have withered in comparison to this environment which seemed to strongly tethered to the shifting dirt. 

Team 7 had stood outside its walls for a few minutes to collect themselves, "Sasuke-kun aren't you excited, I've heard rock village has the best date locations!" Squealing fangirls was certainly something that was individual to the leaf and should be kept within its walls. 

The boy in question opted to ignoring her, making sure to clearly shrug her off. "Lets do some exploring team." To confess, Kakashi had only been here twice and it had been years ago and even then he had never explored the dry village in the daytime. "Sensei I think we should-" Naruto was less excited to go round the village, but after 6 hours of considering, he had to face the facts that they were going to find out eventually. 

"Yes Naruto?"  
"Nevermind Sensei, lets go explore!" Speaking through gritted teeth wasn't something his character would do, but right now they were treading on the real Naruto's territory. 

Sakura was essentially buzzing with excitement and Sasuke had forgotten his earlier intrigue, finding new interest in the new surroundings.  
And so, armed with a map, the team approached the stream of villagers shouting over one another in front of neutral market stalls with ceilings of silk and beads. 

The corridor of market stalls was so overflowing with tanned villagers the chatter rose above the humidity level, incredible. Sasuke was twitching in his dark clothing, taking in mind his translucent skin against the blinding light.  
"Look here look here! Handkerchiefs handmade from rice country!"  
"One time deal, a lock of hair from the fire daimyo himself!"  
"Heatstroke getting the better of your pets? We have the solution!" The marketing pitches were announced with tones colourful enough to make up for the almost colourlessness of the surroundings. 

Naruto was doing his best not to make eye contact with any of the villagers but he knew it was inevitable so he slipped his forehead protector from around his temple down to the base of his neck. They had made it half way through the market, a proud achievement seeing that Sakura had to stop for every jewellery stall, before Naruto was noticed. 

"Come on everyone, beautiful one of a kind pendants shaped by dragons themselves." Sakura had approached the stall like a pin to a magnet, practically frothing at the mouth. "Why Naruto! What on earth are you doing here!" The market seller had dropped his tanzanite pendant to lean over his flimsy wooden stall to get a better look at the blond, his lung capacity pushing its limit. 

Naruto laughed, mildly hysterical at the fact his team were watching him. "I'm here to see your cheap knockoffs, Tokota." pulling up his chin to stare directly into the honey eyes of Tokota. "You always did say the market was a place for tourists and broke locals." His honey eyes widened in mirth, picking up his disregarded tanzanite pendant with vigour, "well then, come on you tourist, discount for my favourite merc? It was made by a dragon you know."  
"The only dragon involved in making that pendant is your grandmother Tokota." Both tourist and local laughed heartily, shaking the flimsy stall.  
"If you had told us you were coming I would've dressed up Naruto-san." Naruto shrugged off the hidden accusation with the explanation that he didn't know he was coming either. The distress that shadowed Tokota's aging visage was enough to allow Naruto to foresee the next line, "you really need to warn a guy when you're coming, you know they're getting unsettled-"  
"That's my problem to deal with Tokota." It can out a little bit too clipped but it worked. The two old friends continued to banter until Naruto promised to visit the old dragon before he left and rounded up his team from the stall. 

The news spread far too fast for Naruto to compose himself. Before they had even left the market corridor he was being greeted left and right.  
"Yo Naruto over here!"  
"Never thought i'd see the day, Naruto in the market! Hey Naruto!"  
"Oi Blonde be ready to open your wallet!"  
Naruto had responded as he typically did: a suave smile, a wave and a sarcastic comment that usually brought out a chuckle from the local. 

"Naruto you know these people?" Sakura was the first to question him, unable to keep up with the constant shouts. The enquiry earned her a sarcastic look with a cocked eyebrow.  
Once they were free from the converging crowds and buzz of chatter warming the air the questions could really start.  
Kakashi took a moment to take in Naruto before asking, "How many times have you been here Naruto?" Naruto shifted tiredly under the gaze, unzipping his horrendous orange jacket.  
"Once, I'm just a charismatic person." The quietest team member couldn't help himself,  
"Define charismatic person dobe." Instead of rising to the challenge the blond let out a deep sigh and looked towards a fish shop. 

There were no more questions but the looks didn't stop until they reached the hotel. The hotel had melted in with all the other houses so it was only because of Naruto that they found it so quickly. It would've taken hours especially under the now darkening sky.

Exhaustion had taken over two of the Genin as they got the to the sanded down desk decorated with cacti. A few quiet words were exchanged between the clerk and Naruto before they were escorted up to their rooms, Sasuke and Naruto in one and Kakashi and Sakura having their own. The hotel was minimalistic in its style, no unnecessary flairs or colours. 

Sasuke hadn't even started to unpack before he flopped onto the bed, fittingly feeling like its frame, wood. His blond teammate was mistakenly presumed he was free from suspicion once they had separated from the group, a natural presumption if the teammate isn't interested in you or cares about you. "How many times have you been here?"  
"Once."  
"The truth, Naruto." The investigated one didn't see any harm in telling him, it wasn't like he was confessing that he had the kyuubi in his stomach or anything.  
"A few times, don't ask questions you don't need the answers to teme." A muffled sigh came out from where Sasuke had pressed his face into. "Just go to sleep, you're tired." the protest was weak, Uchiha pride striking again. 

Kakashi and Sakura weren't asleep yet but a few minutes of waiting wasn't going to kill the Kyuubi holder. Blue eyes flitted across the memory of the village, planning the routes he could take. So much to do in so little time.


	7. Chapter 7

Passing the receptionist was as simple as walking past him. The entire village knew what he was doing tonight, aside from his now sleeping teammates, so no slinking around was necessary. The broad walk ways were lit clumsily to allow the shadows to create the image of loveless neighbours preying on one another from street corners. The loose dirt that shifted and pulled from under the local's constant abusive steps lay exhausted, unmoved by Naruto's tentative padding. 

The fish shop was a decent distance from the hotel, enough that Naruto could glance over his shoulder every 10 seconds and still have the time to drink in the sharp cold of the late evening air. The unpolluted air would be sorely missed. 

'Hennio' dominated its own little corner at a crossroads. Parts of its supporting beams had peeled its dried paint back in a desperate attempt to rid itself of the heat, marbles of mismatched white speckled its base akin to beads of artificial sweat. The light blinking in the grimy windows was not inviting whatsoever, but a visit was far too overdue. 

Unjustified irritation coiled in Naruto's chest but he still chimed the brass bell as he swung the door open. The woman who graced Naruto's entrance with a grunt gestured dismissively for him to move into the back without an escort. Hardly unusual, Naruto grunted back, ignoring the barely hidden meat cleaver tucked into her back pocket. 

The back room was just as one would expect a illegal gambling room would look like in such a cliché place. Plain and carelessly decorated with a single table able to fit up to 10 people if 3 were to sit on other people. Naruto wouldn't exactly be the one to call it intimidating after attending 'visits' with his friends in the Mist village whose backroom looks more like a master hall. 

Two people had already turned up, only two more were to be expected aside from Naruto himself. The woman sitting across the man enjoyed a practiced air of expectancy aimed at any conversation partner which the man was not humouring. Meaning the single blade wielding female was glaring at the average looking man. Neither acknowledged Naruto as he settled.

Naruto hadn’t met either of these Mercs before he had been initiated into the game after the third time he had arrived in the village. Really it wasn’t much of a option for him. Each of these mercs were known as elusive, meaning they moved constantly and were never off missions. The list of mercs admitted to these meetings were all famously unfixed. The whole meeting acted as a tenuous façade of mutual tolerance, seeing as the sheer amount of missions undertaken by the Mercs that forced them to practically be everywhere made it impossible for them not to cross paths with each other almost every other week, it was necessary for the Mercs to ensure one another did not interfere with their work. It was dangerous to cross paths with another Merc during a high profile mission that you were unfamiliar with, the meeting assured each of them that other traveling Mercs they are likely to encounter would not pose a threat to them under the tenuous agreement of the gambling meetings.

It also meant that they were aware of who ran in the circles of traveling Mercs and who was above their power level. So if they were pitted against another traveling merc over a conflicting mission they would know exactly who they were fighting.

There were multiple groups of these, different rooms in different villages. Naruto had only been admitted to two so far but after the first he knew he would be shortlisted for others. Declining the offer was as good as branding yourself as a violent threat.

The average man tiredly sketched out Naruto under his hooded eyes, “Uzumaki, I heard you brought some friends in.” The light hanging from the bulb illuminated the greasy skin on the average man, days of traveling was clear on his blushed peeling skin. The woman followed his attention, regarding Naruto was little interest, “friends? And there I was thinking you were one of us Uzumaki.” Less pleasant than the man but Naruto knew better than to comment.

“Necessary associates.” She had always disliked the blond, clear disdain at his presence was always clear. They had encountered one another before he had been admitted to the meeting, he had been on a conflicting mission. She had ultimately overpowered Naruto but his interference had slowed down her deliverance of the illegal seals so her pay had been cut down.

The two others had arrived during their exchange, one sliding onto a cheap plastic chair and the other annoying his arrival loud enough to make even the dead fish wince. 

“Poker today everyone? How about a few rounds of blackjack?” A new Merc, dyed red hair and a burn mark wrapped around his neck to match, practically yelled at the group. The blond woman shrugged, still attempting to drag a conversation out of the average man. Naruto nodded lamely, trying to avoid the new Merc’s eyes. 

Killan had admitted several times during several meetings to be a ‘fan’ of Naruto’s work. Naruto knew from Takato, the unwilling host of most of these meetings, that Killan was a high profile poison producer who supplied to many Mercs. This Killan had pursued the meetings feverishly, bribing Takato for the locations of each. He had blatantly overlooked the true meaning of these meetings and treated them like a elite social club.

Apparently he was also blind to just how close each of these trained killers were to breaking the unspoken rule of temporary pacifism.

They played a few rounds of each and by the end of the night they had each exchanged their new blacklists of clients, upcoming missions and updates on new associates. Naruto had successfully avoided Killan’s business pitches to a degree, agreeing to purchase a few vials before his next mission.

It was then that the sound of unrest began from the front room, just as they were exchanging their farewell nods. Naruto was practically crying for the sweet release of death, anything going on outside would mean he would have to stay longer and speak to these people more.

The unrest occurring was talking, which was uncommon seeing as the till lady never acknowledges another person unless she really has to. Killan was buzzing, the others were less pleased. Displeasure and the glint of unsheathed metal went hand in hand in this circle of people.

The till lady’s face appeared around the now open stone door, looking irritated and unnerved. “Oi Uzumaki, there’s a kid asking after you.” Each Merc had whipped round to glare at Naruto before the lady had even finished. It must’ve been the look of surprise and barely concealed agitation that stopped them from speaking on the matter. 

Naruto slapped down his winning hand of cards, scrapping the cheap plastic chair against the potholed cement floor. Typical, just typical. 

As Naruto had guessed, there in the front room stood a entitled brat of an Uchiha with his arms crossed. “Sasuke.” 

“Naruto what is happening.” Sasuke’s eyes flitted across the dingy shop, taking in the peeling paint and climbing mold with the air of a person with a superiority complex. Naruto would’ve dragged the dark haired stalker out by his ear if he knew it would look suspicious, whatever he said next would be listened to by the other Mercs. Any suspicious behavior and the paranoid fighters in the back will not hesitate to disband and eliminate Naruto along with Sasuke for breaking the rules of not talking about the meetings. 

“What is happening is that you’ve followed me to Takato’s shop like a creep.” Naruto ground out, he couldn’t put up his mask while those Mercs listened, they would spread the rumor across the nations that Naruto acts like an idiot. 

Sasuke was visibly taken back by Naruto’s openly passive aggressive remark, quickly chalking it up to tiredness. “It’s the middle of the night Naruto, do you really think I’ll believe you’re just catching up with a friend?” 

“We have a mission to complete, I’d have no time in the morning to catch up with Takato. For gods sake go back to the Hotel.” The dismissal did nothing to Sasuke’s determined stance. Takato’s appearance was very well timed. The tired merchant had wondered downstairs during all the commotion, usually he never ventures beyond the apartments above the shop when meetings are running. He liked to cry victim about his shop being used to house an illegal gambling circle with even more illegal participants but really he enjoys the feeling of being important. 

“What’s going on Naruto?”  
“Nothing Takato, go back to bed.” Takato blindly took Naruto’s words, spinning on his heels only to head back upstairs. The obedience demanded from Naruto made Sasuke eye him with more suspicion. 

“Look Sasuke, we’ll talk about this in the morning-“  
“Why Naruto-kun there’s no need for that!” A redhead made an appearance in the private conversation. The overly informal greeting made both Naruto and Sasuke’s eyebrows raise. 

Killan barged inbetween the teammates, his height making both boys look up at the newcomer. The poison expert offered his hand to Sasuke, who ungratefully ignored it, “Good evening... Sasuke was it?” Alarm shot through Naruto, his blundering moron was going to say something. 

“Uchiha right? Relative of our beloved Itachi I’d guess.” He gestured to him and Naruto, making both teens freeze. Naruto’s eyes slipped to the corner of the shop, staring persistently at something but Sasuke’s furious expression. 

“And you, Killan Yui a S rank rock shinobi.” Naruto stared harder into the corner of the shop, the mission objective was to investigate Killan, “a friend of Uchiha Itachi and Uzumaki Naruto?” 

“So you’ve heard of me!” Killan sounded impressed and mildly arrogant at the recognition. Naruto knew he had to shut this down before Sasuke either attacked Killan or asked him more questions. Both options sounded unappealing. 

“Sasuke let’s go outside, I’ll escort you back to the hotel. Killan, I’ll be right back.” If this conversation when on any longer Killan would know he was being investigated, Sasuke would know of his connections to not only Itachi but also a hell of a lot of Mercenaries and foreign countries. And knowing Sasuke he’d happily tell the Hokage everything, and the team. His traveling would be revealed and well, he’d have to leave Konoha permenantly. 

Naruto ground his teeth, the Hokage had obviously planned this. The old man was no one’s fool, he had probably figured out about his traveling and set all of this up, the mail interception and the mission, to get Naruto’s secret out to his team. Some kind of weird trust excersize. 

So anticipating Sasuke’s uncooperation, Naruto took him by his scruff and dragged him out of the shop, demonstrating strength that Sasuke was unused to. The Uchiha fought weakly but ultimately let himself get pushed out, still processing the information. 

“Don’t you dare say a word, you will head back to the hotel and sleep. I promise we will talk about this in the morning” 

“Not the morning, I’ll wait for you in the hotel.” Naruto had to double take that, he had been ready for kicking and screaming, but watching Sasuke practically storm into the dark streets he couldn’t decide which would have been better. 

 

The blond ninja rubbed his eyes, exhaustion sat softly on his shoulders, stretching over his heavy eyelids. Now, facing a group of paranoid and potentially aggressive mercenaries, later explaining to Uchiha Sasuke why he was near one of the seen potentially aggressive mercenaries. And of course his connection to his homicidal brother. 

His kunai was beginning to look real friendly.


	8. Chapter 8

Naruto was well aware that to children promises were cementing bonds of absolute seriousness. To teens they were a currency, easily faked but still worth something. For adults it’s a waste of words, a conman’s weakest ploy. The elderly, a sentimental gesture that holds the shadow of a child’s seriousness but usually regarded with a adults’ cynicism to avoid disappointment. 

To Sasuke’s retreating back Naruto had to almost sneer. The boy crowed over his maturity similar to how Naruto had once crowed over his ninja career, proud and bordering on obnoxiously arrogant. 

The moment Sasuke enters the hotel he will consider telling Kakashi and Sakura. He won’t. After Itachi’s name came up he will hoard this to his chest, pushing anyone away who appears interested, his maturity in full flourish. 

The next steps were clear and well trodden to Naruto. A certain red headed opportunity was waiting for him. 

 

Sasuke had reached the hotel within 10 minutes, at first he had found his feet digging painfully into the bland sand roads, wrestling with the temptation to run but as the walk dragged out, stretching itself in the darkening mist that mingled with the buzz of heat in an almost attractive canvas before Sasuke’s very own eyes, he had no more control left to give. 

Sasuke despite his blunting awareness of his surroundings did notice that even though it was past midnight there was not one light on. Even more odd he swore he could see movement in the houses, vigilant, responsive to Sasuke’s movements. The more he sped up the less people moved or were visible at all. The entire town was awake. Undeniably awake and alert. 

The hotel was just as plain as the other houses, alabaster white and curve-less. The receptionist who had previously granted Sasuke only a suspicious glance as he left was now regarding him like he had a contagious hybrid of heatstroke and the plague. He had no time for this, Naruto would be back soon. 

Sasuke perched on the bed, staring dazedly at the bland hotel art. Even the art seemed to capture the dull beiges that sopped the town’s infrastructure. To anyone who was not staring mindlessly at the art thinking only of a homicidal brother’s apparent connection to the number one surprising ninja in the village who also seems to know a foreign S class shinobi, might even realize that the accurate art of the village was comprised of more colours than Konoha could even dare to touch. 

Beige was not the colour of Sasuke’s thoughts as the scent of pinewood and ammonium shifted thickly under his nose, they were of reds and oranges, growing deeper and brighter as the thoughts grew heavier. Deeper and deeper until they became black.


End file.
